Time recording apparatus



Dec. 9, 1952 D. E. BISHOP 2,521,100

TIME RECORDING APPARATUS Filed Feb. 2'7. 1950 3 Sheets-Sheet l //VVE./Y Toe .30/3/5 E. B/SH Dec. 9, 1952 o. E. BISHOP 2,621,100

TIME RECORDING APPARATUS Filed Feb. 27, 1950 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 .Ezafi. 2 53 g 54 Z 55 V J1- //VVEJV7'0 Q.

309/5 E. Eva/10p 1952 0. E. BISHOP 2,621,100

TIME RECORDING APPARATUS Filed Feb. 27, 1950 s Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented Dec. 9, 1952 TIME RECORDING APPARATUS Doris Edith Bishop, Weybridge, England, assignor to S. Smith & Sons (England) Limited, London, England Application February 27, 1950, Serial No. 146,589 In Great Britain February 28, 1949 13 Claims. 1

This invention has reference to time recording apparatus and in particular to apparatus employed for the timing of racing pigeons. Such apparatus includes a timepiece, and has means for receiving the ring taken from a bird, with a suitable printing or recording mechanism which is arranged so that a record is made when a rin is inserted into a suitable receptacle such as a pocketted drum of the apparatus. The apparatus must also be such that it can be effectively set to a masterclock, sealed and locked so that the records which give accurately the time at which each ring is inserted, are available only to the race controller or other official.

One type of apparatus commonly employed consists of a box having a paper roll which is fed intermittently across time indicating printing members consisting of four discs giving date, hour, minutes, and second, an inked ribbon being used to effect the printing. The mechanism is operated by an external handle after the insertion of a ring in a container. Such an apparatus is capable of giving an accurate indication, but is bulky and owing to the method of printing, there is a risk of the printing being smudged. Moreover, an unscrupulous competitor possibly could tamper with the apparatus so falsifying the time recorded for an insertion.

It is the primary object of the present invention to provide an apparatus which is robust, and which fulfils all of the requirements necessary to ensure accurate recording, whilst being of small dimensions. A further object is to provide an apparatus wherein, when once it has been set and locked by a controller, it is impossible to make any alterations to the timing or mechanism without visibly damaging the apparatus, until the apparatus is unlocked, which unlocking can only take place after a certain number of records have been taken.

The apparatus according to the present invention utilizes as is general with pigeon timing apparatus a time piece having associated therewith printing dies and a roll or web of paper which is drawn between the dies one step to take a time record every time a handle exteriorly of a cover for the apparatus is turned. It also includes a drum having a number of recesses or pockets, which drum is moved step by step fashion, one step for one rotation or turning movement of the handle so that after a token from the bird has been inserted into a pocket presented at an aperture through the cover, by turning the said handle the drum is moved one step, a time record taken, the drum moving to present the next pocket in the aperture the paper also moving to draw the printed record out from between the dies and bring a following fresh part between the said dies.

A further object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus in which it is possible to effect an extremely rapid timing in operation for a token in that it is necessary simply to insert the token into an open ended receptacle (which will hereinafter be referred to as a thimble) then insert the thimble through the aperture in the cover into a recess or pocket in the drum and to turn the handle of the apparatus to lock the thimble in the drum and efiect timing in and resetting of the apparatus.

It is still another object of the invention to provide a means for locking the thimble in the rum immediately said drum is moved and also to lock the cover to the drum thereby to maintain the said cover in position so that a complete rotation or predetermined angular movement of the drum must be made before the cover is released. ihus, the locking of the apparatus according to the present invention is without the use of the usual key locks or other locks associated with a hinged or drop down cover wall, and is maintained until the final step movement of the drum, which movement is of course, made by or under the aegis of the race oflicials. Thus, the drum can have a section or sections unrecessed for the purpose of setting up the apparatus and for indicating that the next step will release the cover.

In order that a clear understanding of the invention may be obtained, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, illustrating a preferred embodiment of timing and recording apparatus, and wherein:

Figure l is a general view of the apparatus, with the cover in position;

Figure 2 is a sectional view on the line 11-11 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a sectional view on the line IIIIII, Figure 4;

Figure 4 is an end view partly in section with the cover removed;

Figure 5 is a plan view with the cover removed;

Figure 6 is a view partly broken away of the paper guideway and printing mechanism.

As will be seen from the drawings, the essential mechanism of the apparatus is mounted upon a plate I G which has a box like housing I l at one end in which the timepiece is received, there bemg provided a separate cover l3, with the parts arranged so that the base plate can be inserted into the open end of the cover l. When fully inserted (as shown in Figures 1 and 2), the ends of the walls of the cover are received in a slot M extending completely around the facing edge of the housing ll. After the mechanism has been operated to bring the parts into the ready for use position, that is with the cover locked to the drum as later described, it is impossible, without damage to remove the mechanism from the cover until the drum has been turned through its full working distance.

Two recesses l5, it, are made in the plate The recess l5 accommodates a cog ll having on its upper surface a concentric ratchet wheel !8, from which upstands the spindle E9, the recess also extending to accommodate the spring pressed pawl i'a. The recess it accommodates a second cog wheel identical with the cog wheel 5?, and on the upper surface of said cog wheel is a third cog wheel 25 approximately one half of the periphery or" which is, untoothed and stepped back. Also mounted on the base to upstand therefrom is a fixed spindle 22 WfllGh carries the take up spool 22a, said spool being driven by the part-toothed cog wheel 2!, through the pinion back movement being prevented by a ratchet and spring pawl of which the pawl Ed is shown in Figure 3. Also mounted concentrically on the cog wheel 2! is the drum driving member 25, which has a tooth 2-5 and arcuate part 2? for engagement with the Maltese cross ring on the drum as later described. A ring nember Z3 fits over the cog El and ratchet if, being located by the flange 253 on the spindle is, said ring member 23 ha 'ing an upstanding peripheral flange 3b.

The drum member 3! has a number of cylindrical recesses or pockets 32 radially in from the wall each for the reception of a thirnble for a ring such as the thimble 33 in which the token to be timed in is la ed. It will be noted that ten recesses 32 ar provided, rranged in two staggered rows, and that the recesses are equally spaced but do not extend completely around the drum there being provided a blank part, divided transversely into two, one part marked Open the other Full (Figure i). A stub 3 3 projects up from the bottom of each recess, to fit into the open end of an inserted thiinble.

Two circun ferential grooves 35, are made one in from each side of the drum, so that gaps S? are provided into each recess 32 these grooves being of such a depth that they extend each into the row of recesses at its side. The bottom groove 35 is encircled by the Maltese or intermittent driving gear the arrangement being such that when the drum is in position, the flange 36 enters the groove 35 to locate the drum, in position as well as projecting slightly into the bottom row of pockets 33. The up er surface of the drum has a circular flange with a ii therein, which gap is above the blank part of the surface marked Open.

A cover member enshrouds the drum and Maltese cross drive. Said cover has an internal isc 5-3 with an apertured boss which boss :9 for the in ertion of a thiinble in the pocket presented the aperture d5, a smaller aperture i which aligns with the ring or flange 40, and for the passage of the locking member later described.

Mounted on the plate it a gate member 4?, said member carrying a spool :23 for the paper record reel, which is threaded throu h the gate on to the talre up spool 22a. Supporting members 49, 55 are provided for carrying the inked ribbon member 5!, said ribbon passing through the gate me; iber, in front of the paper 52. In front of the ribbon is the fixed die 53 which has four circular holes therethrough. The hole 54 has date or day indications embossed therearound on the surface facin the ribbon, and the other holes 55, 55, and 5? have respectively hour, minute and second indications therearound. It will be seen that the timepiece i2 four corresponding hands each in one of the holes, said hands being formed so that when the paper and ribbon are pressed on to the fixed die 53 by the moving die 53, a record is made on the part of the paper within the gate. The opposite or front face of the timepiece 52 has a set of indicators which are for the purpose of giving a visible indication through the window of the time a strike is made on the insertion of a thimble.

The moving die is urged towards the fixed die by means of the spring 6i, said die being coupled to a trigger 52, with which a cam 63 on the end of the spindle l9 and turning therewith cooperates. The arrangement is such that as the spindle is turned, the cam depresses the trigger 62 to load the spring, and when the cam clears the spindle, the sprin pressure forces the moving die sharply forwardly to cause the printing, the spring being arranged so that the force is sufficient to result in printing, with the moving die bounding clear after impact to allow for the movement of the paper.

The rear vall of the cover 63 has an aperture 64 therethrough, and on the inner surface around said aperture is a flange 65, the cover aperture 45 being coincident with the aperture 5d. Projecting inwardly from the rear wall to one side of the flange 55 is an arm the end of which carries a roller 61 One side wall of the cover I3 has a circular recess 68 therein, in which is housed the turning handle 55 the spindle it of which passes through the wall, said spindle having a boss H on its inner end which boss has a cross slot 72, for the reception of the key '53 upstanding from the cam 63. In order to insert the plate ill in the cover, and maintain the two parts (the cover and plate 1 9 with the mechanism) together, the drum must firstly be in the position so that the blank section Open is rearwardly facing. In this position, the gap ll in the flange is positioned in the opening it. Now with the handle 69 in position so that the slot 12 is along the direction in which the platform is inserted and the key aligned therewith, the cover can be moved relatively to the base, until the roller El passes through the opening 5 and gap M, the key 73 enters the slot l2 and the front end of the cover is received in the slot it. It will be clear that, if the drum is now turned, the roller will ride around the inner edge of the flange 49 thereby preventing removal of thelcovcr until the drum has made a complete turn.

It will be seen from Fig. 2 that each thimble consists of a cylindrical receptacle member 33 having a base flange M and a circumferential groove ?5 around the cylindrical receptacle 33. In timing and recording apparatus for pigeon racing it is customary to employ a two partcontainer, but according to the invention herein, a single cup is used, thus saving time in the operation of placing the ring therein and inserting the cup in the drum. When a thimble is placed in a pocket, the stub 34 enters the end of the thimble, and the flange M seats in the widened mouth 38 of the recess 32. Both flanges 39, 44 have a cut away part (it, TI) located so that a thimble can be inserted in a pocket aligning with the apertures 45, 63. As soon as the drum is turned the inserted thimble is locked in the drum as'the flange (either flange 36 or 44) enters the groove 15, and also the thimble moves'beneath the cover member 42.

It will be understood that the apparatus is set up by the race controller with the cover removed. The clock and printing mechanism are set, and with the drum located so that the part marked Open is located in the aperture 45, the apparatus is inserted into the cover l3, the end wall parts at the open end entering the recess I4, and the roller entering the gap 4|. The handle 69 is now given a full turn in a clockwise direction (Figure 1) so that a time strike is taken (giving a final check) and the drum is moved one step so that the first pocket is located coincident with the apertures 45, 64. This first step of the drum also looks the cover,.as the roller 61 is engaged behind the flange 40.

The user, during racing, times in each token by placing same in a thimble and inserting same in the exposed pocket, and turning the handle or key one revolution. This moves the thimble to an inaccessible position, takes the time record and also moves the paper for the next operation. Ten pockets are provided in the drum which is ample for normal purposes.

The parts shown in Figure 5 are shown in the position immediately prior to turning, and it will be seen that upon starting to turn the handle in a clockwise direction, the cog I! turns the cog 20 in an anti-clockwise direction, the tooth 26 engaging in a slot in the intermittent drive ring 38 so turning the drum until the next recess in said drum is exposed for thimble insertion. When the said recess is in position, the cam 63 contacts and depresses the trigger 62, which upon its release, causes printing. For the remainder of the turning of the handle to make up the full 360 movement, the take up spool 22a is driven by the part toothed wheel 2| to move the paper strip so that the recorded time is visible in the window 11. The previous time in (if any) will be visible in the window 18.

It is to be noted particularly that as soon as the drum starts to move, the thimble is locked in the drum, and that there is no possibility of a thimble being inserted after the time strike, or of a thimble being removed after a time strike. After the drum has moved eleven steps (there are ten pockets and two blank positions) the drum indicates Full. The apparatus can now be sent for checking, and clearly it will have been impossible for any of the recorded times to have been tampered with, as it is impossible for the cover to be removed when once looked until the next turn of the drum from Full to Open.

I claim:

1. Time recording apparatus, comprising, a supporting plate, a spindle mounted for rotation in the plate, a drum mounted on the spindle and having on a part of its periphery a plurality of radial pockets spaced from one another by equal angles, a token-holding thimble received in each pocket, means connecting the spindle to the drum for driving same in one direction, a timepiece on the plate, a time impression diecontrolled by the time piece, a supply spool mounted on the plate and carrying a paper strip movable by unwinding over the time die a take-up spool rotatable on the plate and upon rotation in one direction winding the paper strip from the supply spool, gearing connecting the spindle to the takeup spool, a movable die mounted on the plate and facing the paper strip and during movement pressing same against the first die, a trigger resiliently connected to the movable die, a cam o the spindle and periodically actuating the trigger and movable die, a cover for enclosing thefpl-ate and mechanism carried thereby and having an aperture for inserting a thimble in a drum pocket, and means on the drum looking a thimble therein for a predetermined angular drum motion.

2. Time recording apparatus, comprising, a supporting plate, a spindle mounted for rotation in the plate, a drum mounted on the spindle and having on a part of its periphery a plurality of pockets spaced from one another by equal angles and each for receiving a token-holding thimble, said drum having in one end a circumferential recess communicating with the pockets, means connectingthe spindle to the drum for driving same in one direction, a cover for the drum and having an aperture registering with a pocket after the drum has been rotated through one of said angles, a plate mounted on said drum end and having a cylindrical flange entering the recess and pockets, a pair of printing dies on the supporting plate, a time piece mounted on the plate and controlling one of the dies, a spring loaded trigger connected to the second die, a paper strip supporting spool mounted on the plate, a take-up spool mounted for rotation on the plate for winding the strip from the first spool and movable toward the first die and pressing the strip thereon, a cam rotatable with the spindle and actuating the trigger and second die when the strip is stationary, a second cover for the plate and mechanism carried thereby and means looking the second cover in position.

3. Time recording apparatus according to claim 1, and further comprising a cover for the drum and having an aperture registering successively with the pockets during rotation of the drum, said aperture through the drum cover registering with the aperture through the mechanism enclosing cover, and wherein the pockets are disposed around the drum in two staggered rows and wherein the drum has in each of its ends an annular recess communicating with the pockets of one row, and the thimbles have circumferential indents, a plate mounted on each drum end and having a flange entering a recess, the pockets of one row and the indents of the thimbles in that row.

4. Time recording apparatus according to claim 3, and also comprising a box like casing for the time piece and located at one end of the plate and having a circumferential slot near its periphery for receiving one end of the cover for the plate and mechanism supported thereby.

5. Time recording apparatus according to claim 4, and wherein the spindle is concentric with the drum and carries a cog wheel beneath the drum and the means connecting the spindle and drum includes a second cog wheel rotatable on the plate and meshing with the first cog wheel, a tooth member rigid with the second cog wheel, a Maltese cross circle rigid with the drum and intermittently moved by the tooth member, a

fragmen tary :cogwheelrigid with the second cog wheel and a pinion on the take-up spool and 'meshingwi-th the fragmentary cog wheel.

6. Time recording apparatus according to claim '5, and wherein the trigger engaged by the camretrac'ts 'themovabledie'and the same upon vrelease-of thetrigger 'from the cam is urged by the resilient connection toward the first 'die to effect printing.

'7. Time recording apparatus according to claim .6, and wherein each thimble is generally a cylindrical member with a flange and one end, and the drum has a stub'for each pocket and concentric therewith and projecting into the open end of the thimble, the'po'cket being enlarged at the drumperiphery to receive the flange.

8. Time recording apparatus according to claim 7, and wherein the drum includes onone "face a ring part having a gap and the cover for the drum carriesa roller passing through the gap when the cover is placed in position and the drum occupies a certain position, rotation of the drum causing the roller to ride on the inner surface of the ring part and to lock the cover to thedrum.

9. Time recording apparatus according to claim 8, and wherein the roller is carried by an arm fixed within the drum cover and the-aperture of the'cover for the plateis surrounded by "a locking ring surrounding the aperture in the -drum'cover.

10. Time recording apparatus according to claim .9,"and' wherein the first-die has a plurality ofapertures each carrying one set of time indications and the time piece carries hands each located in an'aperture when the clock is in positionand-also comprisinganink ribbon between 'the first die 'andpaper strip.

11. Time recording apparatus according to claim 10, and wherein the cover 'for the plate hasa window "for exposure of the record-printed immediately priorto the paper movement.

12. Time recording apparatus, comprising, a supporting -plate,'a thimble receiving drum rotatably mounted on the plate, a pair of printing dies on the plate for printing the time of thimble insertion intothe drum, 2. coverior the plate and mechanisms supported thereby andhaving an aperture for inserting a thimble into the drum, "a handle exteriorly of'the cover andzcoupled tothe drum and oneofthefiiesmeans feeding paper .between the 'diesiintermittently driven by the handle soithat after insertion of :a: thimble into the drum through the cover aperture'and subsequent rotation'of the druma time record is printedand the paper moved subsequen tthereto,

means 1 carried by and within the cover-and 0pposing axial motion of the drum until the drum has turned through a certainang'le.

13. Time recording apparatus according to claim 12,an'd wherein thelast means include a flange at one -end -of the drum having a gap,'an

arm carrying-a projection passing through the .gap and a drum cover-havingan opening 'forthe arm-and projection.

DORIS EDITHBISHOP.

REFERENCES CITED The followingreferences are vof record inthe file-of this patent:

UNITED .STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 655,453 'Oeste .Aug. 31,1900 v937,845 McMillan Oct.': 26, b.1909 952,832 Mills Mar.:22, 1910 1,423,805 .Krum July'i25, 1922 :l,480,,07.6 .J'acquet Jan. 18,1924 

